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Jan. 31, 1956 s. R. PLANER VACUUM SLUB CATCHERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 22, 1954 m N L m L E U M A V. B

Jan. 31, 1956 s, PLANER 2,732,611

VACUUM SLUB CATCHERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 22, 1954 INVENTOR. S MUEL 2. LANER 7a ygs'vzow lfimm $0M:

ATTORNEY-S United States Patent ce Patented Jaii. 31, 1956 VACUUM SLUB CATCHERS Samuel R. Planer, Gastonia, N. C. Application January 22,1954, SerialNo. 405,641 1 Claim. (CI. 28-64) This invention relates to improvements in slub catchers for yarn winders, and more particularly to novel and improved slub catchers employing vacuum or suction means for removing slubs and lint from the anvils and blades or combs, the primary object of the invention being to provide more etficient and practical slub catchers which eliminate or substantially reduce the present need for periodic interruption of winding operations for the cleaning or clearing slub catchers by hand of lint and slubs which accumulate thereon.

Another important object of the invention is to provide slub catchers of the character indicated above which remove slub and lint more efficiently and thereby result in better quality yarn and fewer rejects; and which eliminate the need for use of exhaust fans and cleaning, and other presently used expedients for removing lint, slubs, and the like from the air and from the regions of winding machines in winding plants.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompany drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration rather than limitation, specific embodiments of the invention are set forth in detail.

Figure 1 is a contracted side elevation of a conventional winder incorporating slub catchers in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line of 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section on the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, showing a modified form of the invention.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, and first to Figures 1 to 4 thereof, the numeral 7 generally designates a conventional form of yarn winder or winding machine, such as a Foster or a Universal, involving a supporting frame 8 on each side of whose upper part are located cones or tubes 9 onto which yarn 10 are wound, through guide rollers 11, from slub catchers 12 mounted therebelow, and which carry bobbins 13 from which the yarn 10 travels through the slub catchers 12.

Each slub catcher 12, of the form shown in Figures 1 to 4, involves a frame 14 having side members 15, 15 on which is pivoted a comb or blade 16 having a lower edge 17 which overrides and at times contacts the upper surface 18 of an anvil 19 which is secured to and extends between the side members 15, 15, the comb or blade 16 being biased toward the anvil 19 in a conventional or other manner. In the illustrated form the comb 16 has needle teeth 20.

Suitable support portions of the slub catcher frame 14, such as a front cross rod or bar member 21 and/or a rear rod or bar member 22, are availed of for supporting a suction or vacuum header or nozzle 23 on the slub catcher 12, more particularly on the frame 14 thereof.

As shown particularly well in Figures 3 and 4, each vacuum header or nozzle 23 is hollow and is preferably of upwardly flared or fan-shaped form and of elongaged narrow cross section and includes a hollow cylindrical neck 24 on its lower end. The opening 25 of the header or nozzle 23, which can be beveled as shown, is preferably somewhat longer than the length of the comb or blade 16, and is positioned close to the underside of and beneath the anvil 19 and extends lengthwise thereof and lengthwise of the blade 16 and preferably reaches, at its ends, somewhat beyond the ends of the blade 16, as particularly well shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. Means for mounting the header or nozzle 23 in the above described position can take the form of hooks 26, 26 secured to the outside thereof and engaged over the forward cross rod 21.

Suction or vacuum is applied to the headers or nozzles 23 by means of relatively small diameter tubes or pipes 27 which at their upper ends are engaged over or coupled to the necks, as indicated at 28. The pipes or tubes 27 are brought downwardly and laterally inwardly of the machine frame 8, and are coupled at their lower ends, as indicated at 29, to a relatively large diameter suction or vacuum manifold pipe 30.

The manifold pipe 30 is secured by suitable means, such as the illustrated straps 31, to cross members 32 of the frame 8, at a level below the slub catchers 12, and the manifold pipe 30 extends the length of the machine 7 and is connected at one end to the intake of a suction source, such as a pump 33 driven by a motor 34, the other end of the manifold pipe 31 being closed. The pump 33 is provided with an exhaust conduit 35 through which slubs, lint, and the like, drawn from the slub catchers 12 through the headers or nozzles 23, are discharged to a selected place remote from the machine 7.

It is obvious that as yarn 10 passes between the slub catcher anvils 19 and the combs 16 thereof and slubs, lint, and other debris are thereby removed from the yarn 10, the suction or vacuum applied thereto by the headers or nozzles 23 effects immediate removal of the debris therefrom and from the anvils and blades and combs, and from the region thereof, so that the blades and combs and anvils remain cleared and unencumbered, and are, therefore, maintained constantly in a freely effective and efficient condition without periodic stoppages either side of the machine 7 for manual clearing of the slub catchers 12 on the other side thereof, and to prevent the possibility of fiber or lint flying into the yarn being wound on the other side of the winder while said other side is still in operation.

Referring now to Figure 5 of the drawings, showing a modified form of vacuum or suction slub catcher 12a, the header or nozzle 23a thereof has on its upper end divergent nozzle elements 37 and 38, but has otherwise the form of the nozzle or header 23 of Figures 1 to 4 and the connections thereof with the suction manifold pipe 30.

The upper part of the upwardly flaring and narrow header or nozzle 23a has therein a V-shaped dividing wall 39 which defines the divergent nozzle elements 37 and 38, and their elongated narrow openings 40 and 41, respectively. Hooks 26a, 26a are engaged over the forward cross rod 210:, with the rearward nozzle element 38 abutting the underside of the rear cross rod 22a.

This arrangement positions the nozzle elements close to the underside of the anvil 19 and at opposite sides thereof, the forward nozzle element opening 40 being at the forward side of the anvil 19 with the rearward nozzle element opening 41 at the rearward side of the anvil 19.

The headers or nozzles 23 and 23a and the manifold pipe 30 may be made of any suitable metallic or nonmetallic material, such as plastic. The headers or nozzles may be deformable material to enable their being bent to achieve proper contact thereof with the components of the slub catchers 12 and 12a. The tubes or pipes 27 and 27a are preferably of bendable and flexible material to provide for their deformation and flexing to accommodate proper positioning of the headers or nozzles 23 and 23a.

What is claimed is:

In a slub catcher for a yarn winding machine, a frame, a comb pivoted 0n and extending across the frame, an anvil on and extending across the frame, a suction nozzle on and extending across the frame having intake opening means positioned close to the anvil and the comb, and means for applying suction to said nozzle, said intake opening means comprising a pair of divergent nozzle elements each having an elongated suction opening, said nozzle elements being positioned along opposite sides of the comb with their suction openings at the underside of and along opposite sides of the anvil and the comb.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,144,768 McCallum J an. 24, 1939 2,241,936 Serio May 13, 1941 2,525,996 Bartschi Oct. 17, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 14,187 -Great Britain of 1911 314,170 Italy Jan. 18, 1934 495,429 Great Britain Nov. 14, 1938 

